Did you know that your favorite celebratory gesture has a SERIOUSLY messy origin story? Honey, the high five didn’t just materialize out of thin air, and the tea surrounding its invention is absolutely PIPING HOT.
For decades, we’ve all been casually throwing up our hands for everything from red carpet wins to random Tuesday greetings with zero clue about the actual DRAMA behind this iconic move. But babe, there’s a reason people are fighting tooth and nail over who gets credit. The high five allegedly has a traceable origin story, but literally everyone and their mother is claiming they invented it. It’s giving main character energy, and we are HERE for the controversy.
The dispute is WILD, darling. Multiple celebrities and athletes throughout history have claimed the honor of creating this seemingly simple gesture, and honestly? The shade is IMMACULATE. Some sources credit it to legendary figures in sports, while others insist it emerged from completely different circles. The fact that we can’t get a straight answer tells you EVERYTHING you need to know about how contested this actually is.
What makes this even more delicious is that the high five has become so universal that literally NOBODY thinks twice about it anymore. We’re doing it at parties, at work meetings, with our kids—it’s everywhere! But the person (or people) responsible for this cultural phenomenon? They’re out here fighting for recognition like they deserve a Grammy.
Celebrity culture has totally embraced the high five as their go-to move. From Oscar winners to TikTok influencers, everyone’s slapping hands and living their best lives. Meanwhile, the original creator(s) are basically invisible. It’s the ultimate snub, honestly. These icons literally changed how humans interact with each other, and they can’t even get a Wikipedia page acknowledging their contribution. The DISRESPECT.
The most hilarious part? Everyone’s probably doing the high five wrong anyway. There’s probably some specific wrist angle or timing that the original inventor intended, and we’re all out here just aggressively smacking hands together like barbarians.
At the end of the day, this disputed origin story is a reminder that history is written by the victors—or in this case, by whoever has the best PR team. The high five deserves its moment in the spotlight, and so does whoever actually came up with it. Until then, we’ll keep clapping our hands in the dark, completely unaware of the CHAOS behind it all.
What do you think? A) The high five was invented by a random person we’ll never know B) A major celebrity should finally claim credit and own their legacy